D-Day Dawns?

our conference could be quite different by day’s end. One more team is enough for me to be happy.

I think we know where they’re sitting.

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/06/big_ten_conference_expansion_c.html

I have a feeling that Chip Brown is a mouthpiece for Texas, among other people. He’s being used as a pawn to control the climate and information around these changes for the sole gain of his sources. People are sharing this information with Chip Brown for a self-serving reason, no one just leaks this kind of info without a strategy.

My guess is that he’s going to wind up totally and completely off based eventually, and we’ll look back and realize he was fed this good info along with bad in order to give his sources a strategic advantage in this process. I’m not saying Texas goes to the B10, but I wouldn’t be surprised at this point.

I bet that has something to do with it. They are already the leader, no sense in getting involved in rumor speculation. They probably have some sources, but the risk of being fed untrue information, even from legit sources, is too high. I actually kind of respect the way they are handling it outside of the idiot commentary from guys like michael wilbon. When it’s on ESPN, and it’s NEWS, it’s typically a done deal, at least that’s how it’s been so far.

ESPN has to keep a foot firmly in the “legitimate news source” area of reporting, and in doing so they have to ignore this rumor stuff until an official announcement is made. But the thing that is really interesting is how they seem to have their affiliates report rumors in order to pick up a story that’s exploding on the internet. Remember that “Mizzou has an offer along with Nebraska, ND, Rutgers, etc.?” That story was obviously wrong, but ESPN had their affiliate report it so they could pick it up because it was literally the only way they could even broach the topic. The blogs had been going nuts for weeks and ESPN was really losing out on coverage.

It seems to me ESPN is caught in a really awkward situation, they don’t have any legitimate sources of information, but they don’t want to fade away as all these blogs have an edge so they manufacture credible sources just so they can talk about it. They want to talk about a story, without reporting on it, which is a unique advantage to blogs.

That’s some serious liability for KTBS if this is indeed BS.

This from Chip Brown just now:

Orangebloods.com: Don’t look for Texas, Texas Tech, OU or Okla St to announce their intentions to join the Pac-10 until next week.

Which I assume means he’s still very clear about them all moving to the Pac-10, and as a block.

For the time being though, if it’s local TV or AM radio, I’m supremely suspicion until they prove I shouldn’t be.

I respect the way they at least told the story rather than just saying “our source told us so!”

I asked Independence Bowl Hall of Honor inductee and current Oklahoma Quarterbacks Coach, Josh Heupel

Nice cred statement… Isn’t that now the Weed eater bowl?

USC athletic director Mike Garrett broke his silence on the matter by telling a group of the school’s sports boosters that the report was "nothing but a lot of envy."

"As I read the decision by the NCAA, all I could get out of all of this was … I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy, and they wish they all were Trojans," Garrett said to cheers Thursday night at the San Francisco Airport Marriott.

USC talking points you will be hearing from all this:

1) USC is, and will always be, one of the greatest football programs and universities in the country no matter what comes out of this. Multiple NCs, many Heisman winners, legendary alums. All the sanctions in the world won’t effect our great history and traditions.

2) We won all games within the sanctioned eras fair and square. These are off-the-field issues. Nothing can take away our historic wins because of said events. We marched the down the field like everyone else and we did it better than everyone else. End of story.

3) Everyone cheats. We were unfortunate for being caught. Thank you Yahoo! Sports, you scumbags. Just because we are the most glamorous university does not mean we should be targeted unfairly by your reporters. Now our student-athletes will suffer from this most egregious sanctions.

4) Outside influence is nearly uncontrollable, especially in a city like Los Angeles. It’s time that the NCAA targeted agents, managers, marketers, and other of the same ilk from tampering with our program. Our players are only human and can’t resist gifts, money, etc, especially if they are poor.

5) Everyone is jealous of USC’s success. When you’re on top, everyone else is looking to bring you down.